New Solar Capacity Factor in the US is Now ~30%

The capacity factor of new utility scale solar deployed in the US in 2010 was 24%. By 2012 it had risen to roughly 30%.

The rising capacity factor of new solar projects is part of why the cost of electricity from new solar is dropping faster than the installed cost per watt. Installing solar at a 30% capacity factor produces a quarter more electricity than the same number of watts of solar deployed at 24%. The rise in capacity factor effectively reduces the price of electricity by 20%.